The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-02-17

| NGpI III ErBo StuliS, "ucu IloG uC WORK
and these stalls kept well Uttered, yer
largo portion Of the urine is absorbc;
and perfectly saved. When litter is i'm
pregnatod With urine, its cualitv j.
greatly improved. 1t is very di0rrcn
thing from litter simply mixed with SOLE
oXcrcmcnt and rottcd. Here is room fo,
great Improvement in our rmcthods-thi,
husbanding of the urine
Again. stalls should not be cleaned ont
more than once a lcar. MANAGED rs
above, neither the health nor the cloon-
Ilncss OF animals demands it, and under
no other conditions can manure be nc
cunnlatcd with SO l;ttlt loss or letriment
to it's quality. Tho great foo to barn
yard manure Of high quality is the oDcn
yald. Abundant littcring helps matters
some, but lcaching will be grcat The
dark, rich juices which flow from it after
every heavy or prOtracted rain are i'm
prcSnatcd with salts OF ammonia no less
than soluble mineral ingredients. Let
us Danish the open yards from our
farms, and change the name from barn
yard to stall manure.
Another source of bulky, organic ma
nurc, which is quite unlimited, and
which may serve as IL basis for compost,
! IS leaves, straw, etc, dccompOscd by the
agency Of ashes and lime. Ashes may be
used alone Orin combination with lime, or
lime may be used alone. In the last case
tho chief function Of tho lime is to de-
compose ard reduce the leaves When
ashes are used alone, they accomplish
the same purpose, but in addition in
crease very materially the fcrtilizing
properties Of the leaves. They add to
them lime, potash, magnesia, phOsphoric
and sulphuric acidS-indced, cyery min
eral ingredient needed by plants If n
proper amount of ammonia and some
phosphoric acid be added to such q
mixture, Il very complete and perfect
manure is produced. Such a mixture,
then, makes an excellent basis for n
compost. Ashes and lime should not be
added directly to stable manure: thcy
viii drive Off ammonia. But after those
substances have been mixed with large
quantities OF leaves, have become diluted
and marked by them, and entered into
now combinations, they may then be
mixed with Stable manure without dctri-
mCnt. Ten bushels of ashes to three or
four well packed two horse wagon loads
OF leaves makes n good mixture. It
ought to be prepared some months be-
fore 1t enters into the final compost heap.
y lArncr might begin now, aud at all
available opportunities through the year,
gather and haul leaves and put up pens
Of such mixtures. lie would be aston
IShcd at the amount which system and
energy would accumulate in the course
OF year. 1t should not be put in piles,
but III pens four or five feet high, well
molstcned to start with, we'll packed and
covered at top with a layer Of rich dirt
several inches thick to retain moisture.
After such heap has been well moist
encd, rains will be apt to keep it wet
enough afterwards. Rain will leach thin
layers OF manure scattered in Il yard or
tie thin edges of q sprcad-out heap, but
Will not leach mass four feet thick with
straight upright sides.
NOW, suppoSln9 Il farmer has the
several materials mentioned on hand and
is ready to make his compost-.hOw shall
ne proportion tho several ingredients?
ilflnan formula, now so extensively
used, Is thirty bushels each OF Stable
manure and cotton seed, 400 pounds of
acid phosphate and POO pounds of kainit.
Experience has shown this to be n very
excellent compound for land Of average
fertility. Can 1t and should il ever be
Vnned? Suppose one has cotton sc, q.
plt no stable manure. In such case ten
additional bushels of cotton seed should
take the place OF the lacking manure; so
that the formula would be 10 bushels of
cotton seed, 400 pounds Of acid phos-
phatc and 200 pounds or kainit. But it
would be desirable, to keep up the de-
sired UlutiOn of the chemical fertilizers
IN the compost, to mix with the above
ingredients twenty-five or thirty bushels
~ lDh pth
thing Of the kind. Again, suppose one
mas stable manure, but no cotton seed ;
the place OF the cotton seed may be
taken by cotton meal-say 80 bushels of
manure, 800 pounds of cotton seed meal
4OO pounds OF acid phosphate and 200
pounds oi KANT Suppose ones land is
extremely poor. Then the quantity of
the cotton seed III the compost may be
doubled, the quantities of other ing;redi-
cntS remaining the same. If ones land
IS quite rich, half or even less of the cot
TON seed may enter into the compost,
Ihe other constituents remaining the
same. Suppose one has the mixture of
ie''tS ana ashes, but no manure or cot
TON seed; then the formula should be GO
ouSlloiS OF icat mixture, 400 pounds of
cOCIoh seod meal, 400 pounds of acid
"'' IOO POUNDS OIL KANT,
LESS kainit would be called for in this
case, because the ashes, in leaf mixture,
would take it's place. If limo only wos
mixed with the leaves, the full Quantity
OF kainit should be added.
1t is well to build the compost pens IN
or near the fields to which it is to be m
piled; this will save hauling during tho
very busy season Of spring. And every
one ought to provide himself with n
compost distributor, both for cconomiz.
ing labor and time and for securing mi
/ formity of distribution. Various pat.
! terms Of these arc now made over tho
! country, and some Of them arc simple
and Inexpensive. a revolving cylinder
with spikes, III Il hopper with slot in the
bottom and movable slides to regulate
width Of slot, constitute the essontial
parts of Il spreadcr, and almost any farm
or can make one for himself.
As spring oats will be sown this
month, attention is called to the mixed
character of seed oats sold in the market
as Texas rust-pro0f oats. last year u
good dc&l sold under that name were not